A'rebours is a french expression that translates to "against the grain" or "against the normal". Pete isnt using it to sound clever, he's using it to express how he feels isolated from everything because he himself is not normal. The lyrics here are actually wrong, in particular it just says: "The Curtain was calling, you were there and a'rebour". I think in this line Pete is expressing how in his time of need towards the end of the Libertines, he turned to Carl, but Carl wasnt there for him - a'rebour expressing how Pete felt abnormal and that if his best friend couldnt help him, then there would be no-one to help him.
I've been running round this world too much, girl
Pretending not to see
What's drilling me, it's killing me
This should actually say what's thrilling me is killing me - i.e heroin. He says pretending not to see because in actual fact he knows the damage its doing to him but he uses this self destruction to get back at those who made him feel "a'rebours".
A'rebours is a french expression that translates to "against the grain" or "against the normal". Pete isnt using it to sound clever, he's using it to express how he feels isolated from everything because he himself is not normal. The lyrics here are actually wrong, in particular it just says: "The Curtain was calling, you were there and a'rebour". I think in this line Pete is expressing how in his time of need towards the end of the Libertines, he turned to Carl, but Carl wasnt there for him - a'rebour expressing how Pete felt abnormal and that if his best friend couldnt help him, then there would be no-one to help him.
I've been running round this world too much, girl Pretending not to see What's drilling me, it's killing me
This should actually say what's thrilling me is killing me - i.e heroin. He says pretending not to see because in actual fact he knows the damage its doing to him but he uses this self destruction to get back at those who made him feel "a'rebours".